Back for an encore

The Acute CD player is reborn. When designing the new EAR
Acute Classic, Audio Designer Tim de Paravicini took inspiration from
the original EAR Acute. Building on its virtues, his all-new design was
built from the ground up to provide an improved listening experience. An
elegant design and EAR’s extensive knowledge, amassed over a
thirty-year history, has culminated in the Acute Classic.

The new classic

With sleek modern styling and more than a nod to classic
quality, the EAR Acute Classic is built to last. Its details are
lavished by a hand-polished mirror chrome finish, forming the basis of a
timeless design. Its aesthetic is married to leading digital and
analogue technology, creating a visual and audible feast for the senses.

The display and power light both emit a luxurious warm hue,
providing subtle cues to the glowing valves within. The large volume
knob is also a statement of the product’s analogue nature, emphasizing
the simplicity of interaction. This is honoured by the Acute’s
interface, which makes it even more intuitive to experience your digital
media.

Compact disc, big sound

Compact Discs are the home for all things audio. Their
abundance and variety make them the most readily available source of
high fidelity music. The Acute Classic masters the most compelling sound
akin to analogue sources. It’s clear and smooth characteristic caters
for vinyl advocates but without the hassles. You will want to re-listen
to your collection in its true fidelity.

The intuitive nature of CDs makes them arguably the most
simple to use of all audio media. It is no wonder how they have become
familiar to so many generations. With three decades of CD production and
many more to come, we created a CD player that should be a fundamental
component of any Hi-Fi setup.

Digital music reimagined

The Acute Classic’s abilities are not limited to CDs thanks
to its built-in DAC. Unphased by even the most demanding formats, the
Acute has the ability to run 192KHz 24bit sources. Connectivity is
covered by the gold standards of digital inputs. Supporting USB, Optical
and Coaxial S/PDIF makes it adept for dealing with your future digital
audio needs. DACs have become a necessity for the playback of
high-quality digital music. While your source of digital music may be
forever changing, you can rest assured your Acute will still be capable
of processing your future digital content. It’s the one investment in
digital worth having.

The defining duo

The use of two ECC88 valves help form the basis of the sound
signature for which EAR has become renowned. It is a configuration that
shone in the Acute 3 and now finds itself in the Acute Classic. The
layout has been enhanced by borrowing the winning formula of the
high-performance EAR Dac 4. Tim de Paravicini further refined the design
to match the increasing capabilities of digital audio but with
adherence to analogue purity that epitomizes high-end audio.

The merit of mass

The acute classic features two dedicated output
transformers, whose construction give an exceptional signal to noise
ratio. Their bespoke design was conceived specifically for audio. They
are built by hand in Cambridgeshire to EAR’s exacting standards. The
circuitry was then developed in tandem to ensure they work harmoniously
with the valves. This gives rise to the composed sound that has become
synonymous with EAR products.

The perfect mix Vinyl quality sound, digital convenience

The digital circuitry at its heart has been designed to
optimise high-resolution digital media. Each step has been carefully
considered from receiving digital information, to its conversion to
analogue. The digital processing uses a bespoke circuit and signal
transformers to boost the low levels created by the Wolfson WM8741 DAC,
whilst minimising noise and distortion. The unique design enables crisp
audio without the harshness typically experienced with digital sources.